Fifine X3: Comfort Meets Budget
The Fifine X3 headphones are a solid choice for those seeking comfort, long battery life, and active noise cancellation at an affordable price. While their audio quality is decent for casual listeners, they face tough competition at their $63 price point, with similarly priced or slightly more expensive options offering better overall performance. However, their plush earpads, lightweight design, and dependable features make them a great option for travel or everyday use. If comfort and practicality are your priorities, the X3s won’t disappoint.
The Good
- Superb Comfort
- Super Long Battery Life + USB-C
- Great for Everyday Usage
The Bad
- Priced High
- Vocals can be muffled
- Not the best for gaming
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Quality
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Price
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Sound
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Comfort
This Christmas, travel is expected to bounce back to pre-COVID levels, with an estimated 119.3 million people hitting the road. For many, that means journeys over 30 miles to celebrate the holidays with loved ones and I’m no exception. My fiancé’s family is in Illinois, mine in Wisconsin, and we’ll be driving plenty of miles during the Christmas week.
As we continue to sort out our living arrangements, the holiday starts with me at her place. Whenever I visit, we tend to stay pretty busy, which helps avoid those quieter moments that can sometimes drag. However, with a relatively uneventful week ahead and her working the Monday before Christmas Eve, I often find myself needing ways to pass the time while she’s out.
Gaming, writing this review, and a few other hobbies come to mind. But as I’ve mentioned before, no matter what I’m doing, I almost always like to have music playing in the background. That brings me to my latest go-to companion: Fifine’s new active noise-canceling headphones, the over-ear X3s.
This year, I’ve really enjoyed working with Fifine. They’ve sent over some great products, from microphones to a sound mixer, and now, for the first time, a headset. The X3s are a premium offering, placing them in a competitive category dominated by well-known brands.
With features like plush ear foam pads, active noise cancellation, Bluetooth 5.3, and an impressive 65 hours of playback time, the X3s aim to stand out in a crowded market. But how do they really stack up?
Welcome to my review of the Fifine X3 headphones.
Design
Straight out of the box, the first thing that stood out were the incredibly soft, plush foam ear cushions.
They’re among the most comfortable I’ve experienced, surpassing many other headphones I’ve both reviewed and used over the years. The cushions are made of a leatherette material, which does tend to get a bit warm after extended use, but the foam itself is exceptional.
These are the kind of headphones you can wear for hours and are perfect for long car rides or plane trips without discomfort.
That same lightweight cushioning extends up the headband and into the top section, ensuring consistent comfort. The headband is fully adjustable, making it adaptable for nearly any head shape.
Seriously, these cushions are unmatched!
The exterior of the X3s is constructed from high-quality matte black plastic, accented by a subtle red line on the right earcup for a touch of character.
Beneath the plastic, Fifine has included an aluminum shell and headband for added durability, giving the headphones a sturdy yet lightweight feel.
A thoughtful feature of the X3s is that both earcups can rotate 90 degrees, allowing the headphones to lay flat. This makes them convenient for temporary removal, letting them rest comfortably on your chest, and also aids in packing them into a suitcase or bag. Additionally, the earcups have a small amount of vertical swivel for a better fit.
One downside to the design is the difficulty in identifying the left and right earcups. Fifine has screen-printed “L” and “R” onto the inside mesh of the speaker grill, but the markings are faint and hard to see without ideal lighting. More often than not, I identified the “R” earcup by locating the controls, as all of the X3’s buttons and ports are positioned there.
Speaking of controls, the right earcup features the ANC toggle, volume, and power buttons, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C charging port, and a detachable boom mic jack. It’s a straightforward and functional layout.
One notable omission is the lack of a travel case. Amazon even lists a travel case as a “frequently bought together” suggestion for the X3, which highlights its absence. Even a small bag included in the packaging would have been appreciated for added convenience.
Overall, from a design perspective, the Fifine X3s are an impressive piece of work. They feel premium for their price point, the ear cushions are outstanding, and they adjust and sit comfortably on the head. The aesthetic is understated yet professional, and Fifine has done a commendable job getting the fundamentals right on their first try.
Functionality
When I first unboxed the Fifine X3s, I encountered a bit of confusion while pairing the headset. Typically, I expect to hold the power button to initiate pairing mode, but with the X3s, it’s a bit different.
A simple press and hold of the power button turns the headset on and automatically puts it into pairing mode; though there are no audible tones or voice prompts to indicate this. Once you figure it out, pairing is straightforward: turn the headphones on, hold the power button, and then search for the device on your intended pairing device.
One significant disappointment is the voice prompts used for the headphones. The commands are in a heavily accented Chinese-English voice, with phrases like “Powa Ohhnn” for “Power On,” “Powa Oof” for “Power Off,” and “Connneccteed” for “Connected.” While functional, this feels out of place for a product marketed to a U.S. audience. I think simple tones would have been a more universally appealing option.
Once connected, however, the X3s shine in delivering smooth and transparent Bluetooth 5.3 performance. Whether I loaded up a mix of rock, instrumental, or pop tracks on YouTube Music, the headphones handled a variety of genres with ease.
For casual listeners, the X3s perform well. The mids are balanced, the bass is punchy, and the highs are serviceable. Vocals, however, can sometimes feel slightly muted compared to other headphones I’ve used. For most songs, the listening experience was enjoyable and perfect for long sessions, especially given the impressive 65-hour battery life.
That said, rap music, particularly tracks with heavy bass and fast vocals (e.g., Eminem), was where the X3s fell short. While the bass is commendable, the vocals and highs can sound somewhat muddled, losing clarity in the mix.
Additionally, if you’re someone who enjoys listening at max volume, you may find the X3s underwhelming. At full volume, the 32 Ohm speakers struggle, with the bass overwhelming the mids and highs. While I don’t recommend listening at extreme volumes, it’s worth noting for potential buyers.
To get the most out of the X3s for music, I highly recommend using an equalizer. With some adjustments, these headphones can deliver sound quality that punches well above their price point.
The X3s also feature active noise cancellation (ANC), which is a welcome addition. Thanks to multiple microphones on both earcups, the ANC effectively minimizes ambient noise. During testing, I couldn’t hear my fiancé talking next to me in bed while scrolling through Instagram reels.
While they don’t rival premium offerings from Sony, Bose, or Apple, the ANC implementation is solid for this price range. The headphones also offer a transparency mode, which brings in outside sounds and that’s ideal for situations like train stations or airports where situational awareness is important.
On the gaming front, the X3s were less impressive. I tested them while playing Factorio and using Discord for voice chat. Unfortunately, the experience was underwhelming. My friend reported laggy audio, and my voice was difficult to hear without the detachable boom mic (not included). Additionally, game audio felt off, possibly due to Bluetooth limitations with PC gaming or the X3s themselves. For gaming, I’d recommend looking elsewhere.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that Fifine offers a 2-year warranty for the X3s. This provides extra peace of mind, especially since many competing products only include a standard 1-year warranty. Based on my experience with Fifine’s support team, I’m confident they’d stand by their products and honor the warranty if needed. They are a great team.
My Final Thoughts
While I tested the matte black variant of the X3s, Fifine also offers a sleek white option that I find equally appealing. With a 4.5-star rating on Amazon, these headphones have clearly resonated with many buyers—and for good reason.
For me, the Fifine X3 headphones are an easy choice for weekend getaways and casual travel. The combination of active noise cancellation, impressive battery life, USB-C charging, and exceptionally comfortable earpads makes them a reliable companion for listening to music, watching YouTube videos, or scrolling through Instagram Reels.
I’ve found myself able to wear them for hours on end without any discomfort, which is a big plus.
These headphones are, at their core, a solid mid-range offering. However, their pricing is where things get tricky. At $63, Fifine is entering a very competitive market.
While the X3s offer fantastic comfort and good features, they’re priced slightly higher than comparable options, like Anker’s Soundcore equivalents, which are around $10 cheaper but don’t match the X3s in comfort.
On the flip side, for just a bit more, around $99, you’re stepping into entry-level Sony territory, where the competition ramps up significantly in terms of audio performance and brand reputation. That makes the X3’s current price point a little hard to justify. If these go on sale for a $49.99 price tag, that would make these headphones much more competitive and appealing for budget-conscious buyers.
Right now, they are priced for $56 with another 5% off which I think make them a good deal at this pricing.
That said, if you’re in the market for a dependable, good branded, budget-friendly pair of headphones for everyday use, whether it’s music, video content, or casual scrolling then the Fifine X3s are a solid choice. They won’t blow you away, but they’ll get the job done reliably and comfortably.
© 2024 Justin Vendette
